Lawmakers introduce bill designating $28 billion to secure state and local IT systems
A coalition of lawmakers in the House and Senate on Thursday introduced legislation to funnel federal funds into strengthening state and local information technology systems, following increased stress on these systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The State and Local IT Modernization and Cybersecurity Act - sponsored in the House by Reps. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and in the Senate by Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) - would provide $28 billion in federal aid to state and local governments to help shore up older systems in the midst of the pandemic.
These funds would be funneled through a "Public Health Emergency Information Technology Grant Program" that would address immediate challenges to IT systems during the coronavirus pandemic, and a "Modernizing Information Technology Program" to purchase new and more secure platforms.
The bill was introduced after recommendations by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), a bipartisan group established by Congress, that released a report in March detailing ways to secure the U.S. against debilitating cyberattacks.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lawmakers-introduce-bill-designating-28-billion-to-secure-state-and-local-it-systems/ar-BB17W4WH?li=BBnbfcQ&ocid=DELLDHP
